The invention relates generally to sporting games and particularly to a game apparatus which allows the player to use both hands in addition to exercising more of the upper body in playing generally conventional games such as tennis and ping pong thereby providing a more total body workout than conventional game apparatuses.
Popular games such as ping pong are commonly played with game apparatuses which utilize a single impact member such as a conventional tennis racket or ping pong paddle. Consequently, the players are able to utilize only a single hand and those parts of the body which are used to bring that hand into motion to play the game. As a result, only a relatively small part of the body is well exercised when the player uses such conventional game apparatuses in playing these types of games. In particular, the left hand, left arm and left part of the torse of the (right handed) player are not typically given a good workout while the right hand, right arm and right part of the torso of the (right handed) player are typically given a relatively strong workout. However, in order to achieve a well developed physique, it is more desirable that both hands, arms and both sides of the torso must be exercised to approximately the same degree. It is also more desirable that the player develop both hands, arms and both sides of the torso in order to develop a totally fit body which has strength, coordination and endurance capabilities which are generally well balanced body so that the full physical capabilities of the player are enhanced. In addition, those who play these games with such conventional, prior art apparatuses find that utilizing only one hand and arm sometime places these body parts (and other body parts associated therewith) in awkward and uncomfortable positions during play thereby detracting from enjoyment of the game. Moreover, many players whose use such prior art game apparatuses find that repetitive use of only one hand and arm in such games results in overstressing of some body parts producing such chronic maladies as "tennis elbow". Consequently, many game players using prior art game apparatuses find themselves discontent with their efforts to exercise recreationally and often feel they are doing themselves more harm than good in playing these games despite their dedicated and persistent game playing efforts which might have arisen solely from the self improvement goals they have set for themselves. Many players thus become discouraged from playing these and other sporting games as well. Moreover, many such players also may become discouraged from exercising in any form whatsoever. However, other players who develop chronic physical maladies from the game nevertheless continue to play. Such players who continue to tolerate the pain and physical restrictions resulting from the maladies often may adopt the rationale that the maladies are the price to be paid for achieving the desired physical conditioning and/or physical prowess in the sport. Another important shortcoming of prior art game apparatuses utilizing a single racket or paddle is that they require the user to cover a relatively large area of the tennis court or other playing area with the single impact surface of such a prior art racket or paddle so that the player frequently must twist or stretch his back or certain other parts of the body to an excessive degree in order to extend his reach sufficiently to strike the ball. Such twisting and stretching movements can contort and overstress the player's spine, joints and other parts of the body resulting in injury thereto. Consequently, many people are discouraged from playing such sporting games even though they would attain a better level of physical fitness and improve their general sense of well being by regularly obtaining the exercise and recreational enjoyment such games can provide.
Recognizing these shortcomings, many sporting games have been introduced which are intended to subject the player's body to less strain. However, such games have not been entirely successful in displacing such popular recreational sporting games as tennis and ping pong. Some of these games have utilized game balls which have holes therein or aerodynamic appendages attached thereto in order to slow the ball down and thereby give the receiving player more time to react and properly position himself for returning the ball. Such game apparatuses may indeed place less stresses and strains on certain important body parts and be less likely to put the user in awkward and uncomfortable positions. Nevertheless, however, many players have not found such games as exciting or as interesting as the conventional games they were designed to replace, and such games have therefore not enjoyed widespread popularity.
Some prior art game apparatuses designed for tennis or ping pong type games are designed to obviate the awkward strike positions inherent in the competitive use of conventional tennis and ping pong game apparatuses. An example of such a prior art apparatus is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,674,266 to Grosberg. The Grosberg apparatus is essentially a double ended paddle which allows the paddle to be grasped with both hands. The impact surfaces at the ends of the paddle in conjunction with the long handle which can accomodate both of the user's hands obviates the necessity of using a backhand stroke when returning the game ball. However, a major disadvantage with this apparatus is that the handle has a square cross-sectional shape which makes it uncomfortable for the player to use. In addition, if a ball is directed straight to a player, the player who is using such an apparatus must move laterally in order to position himself astride the oncoming ball so that he can strike it effectively. Thus, this type of prior art apparatus does not always allow the user to effectively return the ball and in some instances is somewhat awkward to use. For these same reasons, it also does not facilitate effective and efficient game playing. In addition, the relatively thin paddles and shank portions make the apparatus too weak to hold up under the relatively impact forces of tennis.
Other prior art game apparatuses provide more playing capabilities to the user by including multiple impact members. An example of such a prior art apparatus is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,606,322 to Kersch. The Kersch apparatus is a striking paddle having three or more impact members and two or more handles interdisposed therebetween. The Kersch paddle is specifically designed to strike a free swinging ball. Consequently, an important disadvantage of such an apparatus is that its special purpose structure does not allow it to be effectively used to play other games such as tennis which do not utilize a ball connected to a string. In addition, the Kersch impact members are all the same dimensional size which makes the apparatus more awkward to use because the outer impact members which require that the ball be struck in a swinging motion require a different dimensional size than the center impact member which requires that the ball be struck in a bunting type motion. Thus, if the outer impact members are the optimum dimensional size then the center impact member is too large and vice versa. Moreover, this dimensional size of the impact members also dictates, to a certain degree, the spacing of the handles. Consequently, the handles may be spaced too far apart or too closely apart in relation to the dimensional size of the impact members for effective use of the striking apparatus, and such an apparatus may thus feel awkward at times. Therefore, this type of prior art apparatus does not provide a striking apparatus which the user can utilize to effectively put into play all his desired game playing skills. In addition, as with the Grosberg apparatus, the Kersch apparatus does not have sufficient structural strength to hold up under the relatively high impact forces of sporting games such as tennis.
A sporting game playing apparatus is thus needed that can provide the user with a striking member which is comfortable to use, gives the user a more total body workout and minimizes risk of personal injury by both placing less strain on certain body parts and by facilitating smoother, more orthopedically correct body movements.
It is a principal object of the present invention to provide a game playing apparatus that provides the user with a generally total upper body workout.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a game playing apparatus that provides reduced risk of overstrain and overstress on certain joints, muscles and certain other body parts thereby reducing risk of injury thereto.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a game playing apparatus having a striking member with multiple impact members which are positioned and dimensioned to allow the user to more effectively utilize and develop his game playing skills.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a game playing apparatus which allows the user to selectively use striking member impact surfaces which yield either fast or slow moving game balls.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a game playing apparatus having impact members which are detachable and interchangeable so that the game apparatus can accommodate game playing areas of different dimensional sizes.
It is also another object of the present invention to provide a game playing apparatus having a striking member with impact surfaces which are angled inward to accommodate the dimensional size of the game playing area.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a game playing apparatus having a striking member with impact surfaces which have a radius of curvature selected to accommodate the dimensional size of the game ball.
The game apparatus of the present invention is specifically designed to allow the user to grasp the striking member with both hands and to strike the ball with either of multiple impact members one of which is positioned at the center and the others of which are at both ends of the striking member. Thus, the user uses both hands, both arms and the muscles of the upper torso associated therewith to strike the ball. Since generally the entire upper body of the user comes into play when using the apparatus of the present invention, the user exercises, trains and develops the entire upper body rather than only one hand, arm and the muscles of the upper body associated therewith. Thus, since the apparatus of the present invention exercises more of the user's body than conventional prior art apparatuses which have only a single impact member, the apparatus of the present invention provides more well balanced exercise and training resulting in more well balanced development of both arms, hands and upper body of the user. Consequently, the user of the game apparatus of the present invention is better able to develop improved strength, flexibility and coordination of the entire upper body than a user of prior art game apparatuses.
Two of the impact members are positioned at both outer ends of the shaft portions of the striking member so that the user can return game balls that are directed to either lateral side of him. This feature of the game apparatus of the present invention enables the user to strike balls at either lateral side without overtwisting or overstretching hands, arms or torso thereby minimizing undue stresses and strains on these body parts. In addition, another impact member positioned generally at the central portion of the striking member allows the user to easily and effectively strike balls that are directed straight at him. In contrast, more conventional prior art apparatuses require the user to move laterally in order to get into a proper position to effectively strike the ball. As with oncoming game balls which are laterally a substantial distance from the player requiring overtwisting or overstretching the player's body to get the desired reach (or proper swing) using a single impact member, game balls directly in front of the player also may require overtwisting or overstretching the player's body in order to quickly get into the position required to effectively strike the ball with such prior art apparatuses. Consequently, the game apparatus of the present invention provides reduced risk of injury to these body parts when compared to prior art apparatuses which have only one or two impact members. In addition, since the apparatus of the present invention generally eliminates the necessity of the backhand stroke which is typically awkward and difficult to learn, the apparatus of the present invention is easily adaptable as a physical education training aid to those generally unskilled in conventional sporting games such as tennis.
The impact members and the striking member preferably have interconnecting structures which preferably include a winged shaft portion of the impact members which fit into a slotted recess in the striking member. These interconnecting structures prevent rotation of the impact members relative to the striking member when the impact members are subjected to high impact forces during use. These unique structures enable the user to put a lot of power behind the stroke without damaging the apparatus and without causing undesired rotational movement of the apparatus which could otherwise alter the directional movement of the rebounding ball.
The impact members also are preferably detachable from the striking member. This detachability feature allows the user to connect different impact members to the striking member in order to tailor the game apparatus to the dimensional size of the game playing area and/or the particular game playing structures with which the apparatus is to be used. For example, relatively long and/or large impact members may be connected to the striking member in order to provide a longer reach and wider swing, as appropriate for a tennis court, and, conversely, relatively short and/or small impact members may be connected to the striking member in order to provide a narrower, more compact apparatus which is relatively more maneuverable, as appropriate for a ping pong table. Also, this detachability feature allows the user to select the impact members which have the desired type of impact surface for the particular game or for the desired degree of workout intensity. In addition, this feature allows the selection of impact members which are dimensioned to accomodate the dimensional size of the game ball. Since multiple impact members may be interchangeably connected to the striking member, the game apparatus of the present invention may be used to play various different games in game playing areas of different dimensional sizes with a minimum number of component parts for improved versatility, compactness and portability.
Another embodiment of the game apparatus of the present invention includes a stepped (but otherwise generally flat) impact surface on each of the outer impact members. The stepped impact surface generally tends to deaden the ball on rebound reducing its speed in flight while the opposite (unstepped) impact surface provides the ball on rebound with generally normal speed in flight, for the same striking force. The different impact surfaces positioned on opposite sides of the impact members allow the user to easily choose how he wants the ball to move when struck by simply turning the striking member so that the desired impact surfaces are facing outwardly. This important feature of the present invention provides the user with more control over movement of the ball thereby enhancing the user's game playing capabilities. In addition, this important feature enables the user to select the impact surfaces which allows him to work harder or easier, as desired, in serving and returning the ball. Concomitantly, this feature also enables the user to choose (to a certain extent) the degree of intensity of the workout and also to vary the intensity of the workout at will during the game thereby enabling the user to have more personal control over the training, exercise and physical development which are provided by playing the game.